Star Coral

Coral Close View

Photograph by Tim Laman

Coral reefs teem with life, covering less than one percent of the ocean floor, but supporting about 25 percent of all marine creatures. Indonesia is home to the highest marine diversity on Earth, including this coral photographed near the Tukangbesi archipelago in Indonesia.

Camouflage

Coral Tentacles

Photograph by Wolcott Henry

Though corals get most of their food from the byproducts of zooxanthellae algae's photosynthesis, they also have barbed, venomous tentacles they can stick out, usually at night, to grab zooplankton and even small fish.

Rainbow of Soft Corals

Sea Fan Close-Up

Photograph by Heather Perry

Similar to all corals, sea fans, such as this one in the Turks and Caicos Islands, are made up of tiny animals called polyps. When stressed by such things as temperature change or pollution, coral polyps will evict their colorful algae boarders, which can lead to coral bleaching and death.